Bitten in Two (28 page)

How is this different than what Kyphas wants with
Cole?
asked my Inner Librarian.
You act as if Vayl is a part
of you. Isn’t that a sort of possession?

I answered because she wasn’t judging. Just asking so she’d know where to file the records.
Maybe the line is so
thin in places you’d need a microscope to find it. But you
and I both know it exists. All we have to do is take a peek
at the Domytr we’ve got locked up in my head. The
difference is love. Not the use-it-till-you-suck-the-life-out-of-it word you hear on soap operas and talk shows every
day. Real love. Unending. Unconditional. Unselfish.

That’s why it’s not possession.

What would you call it, then?

I didn’t even have to think.
I’d call it bliss.

I looked up at my vampire, breathed in his scent like it was fil ed with miracles. Smiled into his warm brown eyes.

And held back. His touch had reassured me. Now I could wait until we had real time. But I stil took advantage of walking close to him, brushing against his arm as everyone else pressed close too, so we could use his power of camouflage to hide our blood-stained, fist-bruised bodies from the people who would be most likely to cal the police if they saw us.

Sterling and Cole took the lead. My
sverhamin
and I walked behind them with Kyphas trailing at the back. I kept an eye on her, but there was real y no need. She stayed quiet and thoughtful, though she did keep an eye to our backs so nothing could sneak up on us. She was, in fact, an ideal rear guard. That alone told me something was up. For once, I was glad to know it.

I elbowed Vayl, tracked my eyes to her, and got his acknowledgment that he’d noticed too. But he didn’t say anything. Just explained what he expected to go down at the museum after we’d al spiffed up for the robbery.

“With two Sensitives and a warlock on our side, we should easily be able to locate and eliminate the pack guarding the map,” he said. “Eishel said it was in a storage room. Leave the lead Were alive so it can tel us which one.

After that, Bergman—”

Cole asked, “What about Bergman?”

Vayl looked at me. “I assumed he was waiting for us back at the riad?”

“No.” I felt that fist in my stomach again. “He’s hurt. It’s not life-threatening, but he’s at the hospital.” Now the guilt descended. What the hel had I been thinking letting some punch-loving stalker guard my little buddy until the cavalry came? It was worse than leaving him alone!

“I have to cal him.” I fished out my phone.

“Push the speaker button thingy!” Cole demanded.

“Oh, you’re so technical. Remind me not to let you touch any more of Bergman’s stuff,” I said. But I did activate the group-hear function.

Miles answered immediately. “Jaz! I’m going to have a scar! Actual y, three of them. Isn’t that great?”

“Uh. Yeah?”

“Monique’s with me. She hovers like a Jewish mother, only she’s pretty sensitive about her age, so don’t tel her I said that. She just left to find me something to eat because I’m starving! I could probably eat a whole pot of spaghetti right now! Did everything go okay?”

Bergman on painkillers. Um, God? Let’s not do this
too often, ’kay?
“Yeah. I mean, great. Just like we’d hoped.”

“That’s so cool it’s like… empirical!”

Cole’s shoulders started to shake. Sterling looked back at me and mouthed,
Empirical?

I said, “… Definitely. So. What kind of medication did they give you, dude?”

“Stuff for pain. And antibiotics. And painkil ers. Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

“Nope. But, uh, I figured you…”

Cole was gesturing wildly like he either wanted to talk or climb the Atlas Mountains before we left the region. I kept waving him off. Final y Vayl pointed at him then pointed to the ground. The message was clear.
Down, boy!

He subsided.

I said, “So, Miles, how long are you in for?”

“Overnight. Monique’s going to stay with me the whole time. She says she’s worried about me. But I think she might be one of those cougars. You know what I mean?

Rrrrrow
.”

When Bergman actual y tried to pul off a growl I nearly dropped the phone. Cole had started to slap himself, but it wasn’t working. He covered his entire head with his shirt while Sterling buried his face in Cole’s shoulder and they both shook uncontrol ably. Behind us, even Kyphas began to snort.

Final y I managed to say, “Gee, Miles, are you sure?

Maybe she’s just being nice.”

Bergman said, “Naw, I think she’s hot for my bod. I’l tel you one thing. I’m not going to put out on the first date.

That’s for sure. I’l definitely make her wait until at least date number two.”

Cole and Sterling fel to the ground and began to rol around helplessly. Beside me I could see the glint of Vayl’s fangs. If I didn’t end this conversation right now I would probably rupture something vital from the supreme effort it was taking not to laugh out loud. I said, “That’s a sound plan, Miles. You do that. So I’l pick you up in the morning.”

“Okay! Have fun boffing your vampire!”

I hung up. Three beats of silence. And then we al roared.

The riad seemed smaler without Monique and Bergman there to brighten the corners. I said so to Vayl as we stood outside his door. Everyone else had gone off to their rooms to clean up. I should be on my way too. But it was hard to separate, even temporarily. So I found another excuse to stay by adding, “It’s great that you booked a riad so close to the medina. Makes for a short walk to, wel , pretty much anywhere.” Then I grinned like a lottery winner as I realized this was the first time he’d heard my compliment as

“himself.”

I realized he was thinking along the same lines when he said, “It seems that it was my last lucid move for some time.”

I said, “I don’t know how long this is going to eat at you.

I guess it would bother me for longer than twenty minutes too. But Sterling believes the only reason Ahmed could curse you was because you’d already cursed my mother.

And you only did that to protect me. If that’s wrong, you can wal ow in guilt for the next hundred years and I won’t fault you.”

“I know how miserable I made you.”

I smiled up at him. “You were kind of a dick back in the day, weren’t you?”

His face went taut and for a second I knew how Ahmed had felt to face his rage. “Yes.” Terse, get-the-hel -out-if-that’s-your-intention tone.

“But you’re not now,” I noted.

He pul ed a long breath in through his nose. “No.”

“That’s a hel uva feat. I’l bet I can name fifty men who could live three hundred years and never improve on their dickness.”

Twitch of the lip. “Is that a word now?”

“Absolutely. Here, I’l use it in another sentence. ‘His dickness was so far beyond help they decided to amputate.’ I think that’s—Vayl? Are you… laughing? About the serious malady of dickness? Geez, that’s pretty insensitive of you, considering you beat it yourself.” I leaned against the wal , savoring the sound of his pleasure. Then I realized I was leaving a red splotch on the tile. “Ick. I real y gotta get a shower. And try to get this shirt clean.”

“Yes,” Vayl said doubtful y as he viewed it through the stains. “It is so… charming.”

“I like it. Cole gave it to me for my birthday.” Oops. Al that work to stomp out the doomsdays and one slip of the tongue had relit the fire.

“I missed your birthday.”

“Not real y,” I said. “We had cake.”

“Do I remember Kyphas being there?”

I tried to shrug it off. “Yeah.”

“Then you did not have a true celebration.” Wow. He real y knew me. Which was probably why he decided to stop with the self-torture and focus on more important matters. “I have a present for you.”

“You do?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Is it here?”

“In fact, it is. Wel , it should be. I meant to check if everything had worked out as planned before I—”

“Oh, baby! Okay, okay, this is great!” I realized I was jumping up and down and clapping my hands. And that Vayl real y liked the extra bouncing that caused.

I stopped when he said, “I wil need to make a cal . But you should be able to open it”—he motioned to our general nastiness—“as soon as we have changed.”

I rewarded him with another round of bouncing and, since his clothes were ruined anyway, a bone-cracking hug.

No, not his, mine. But damn, did my back feel great afterward!

I said, “I have to go. Shower. Dress. Clean up. You too.

Fast, okay?” I kissed him, hard, on the lips. “Oh, did I say? I love you.”

There was a hint of gold in his emerald eyes when he said, “I do not suppose you would ever have to tel me again. But I am glad to hear the words.”

“Great. Okay. I’m outta here!” And I was off to the showers. Because, hey, it was my first birthday with a boyfriend whose idea of fun was to whisk me off to an exotic island for weeks at a time. Who knew what his idea of a great gift would be?

Al the way through my shower I tried to guess. Because surprises tend to gut me. And then I’m left standing, or sometimes lying there, looking like a candy-assed fool. So what could it be? He definitely liked the threads, so maybe a whole new wardrobe. Oh! What about another trip? That would be pretty boss. Like maybe sailing around the world.

Or backpacking through Alaska.

By the time I’d washed the last spot of blood from myself and my clothes, I’d made up my mind. Unfortunately, due to the surprise nature of the surprise, the decision had fal en into direness. Vayl was about to present me with another piece of jewelry. Probably something along the lines of a five-tier diamond necklace that I could wear, yeah, nowhere. Gack.

I practiced my thankful face in the mirror as I brushed my teeth. It didn’t work until I pasted on the Lucil e persona.

“No, real y, Vayl, you shouldn’t have.” Spit. “Are you kidding? It’s gorgeous!” Rinse, swish, and… spit again.

How much did safety-deposit boxes cost? And if I hung on to it until E.J. graduated from high school, would it bring enough at auction to put her through col ege?

I shoved my legs into a pair of olive-green khakis and told myself not to be disappointed. On top went a sleeveless white tee over which I threw a green cotton button-down and my white jacket. Black boots. Grief. Bolo.

And the forearm shield. I fil ed my pockets with extra clips, pasted a smile on my face, and went to knock on Vayl’s pasted a smile on my face, and went to knock on Vayl’s door.

“Come in, Jasmine.”

I’l admit my heart did a happy flip when he said my name. But when I entered the room to find him lounging in the chair by his empty fireplace, reading the note I’d written him while he was throwback Vayl, I nearly left again. His eyes stopped me. They were like liquid copper. The walk past his bed to the chair opposite his felt like a marathon because those eyes never left me. By the time I sat down I was breathless. So I waited for him to talk.

He laid his hand, with the note in it, across my legs.

“You must have been furious with me. And yet you wrote me this.”

I shook my head. “I don’t even think there’s a word for how fast Cole had to talk me down. But even in the middle of feeling like my head was going to explode I knew it wasn’t your fault. And later, when you saw my picture and you wanted me?” I looked down at the glass-topped table that sat between us. Wanted to grab one of the mints that sat in an elegant little bowl in its center, just to give my hands something to do besides clutch each other as if they’d never feel his fingers lace through mine again. I said,

“It helped a lot.”

Vayl folded the note and slipped it into the pocket of his black silk shirt. He rose so fast that I had to move my head to keep him in focus. His cane slammed against the tile as he walked to the balcony door and stared through the glass.

“What you must think of me.”

I watched him. Waited for him to turn around. He just glared into the night, his jaw tight with emotions he couldn’t unleash. Unless he wanted more people to die tonight.

This is a big moment
, said Granny May from her sewing chair. Her needle moved so furiously it might’ve been electrified, except clearly it was being powered by her nimble old fingers.
It would be excellent if you could think
of something deeply profound and moving to say that will
both reassure him and give him something to remember
for the rest of his days.
She peered up at me. Shook her head.
Never mind.

I opened my mouth. What came out was this: “I’m thinking you’re a huge tease. Knowing how hard up I am and just hanging that sweet tush of yours out there for me to ogle when you real y oughtta be—”

The rest of my sentence was lost in the rush of his return to me. My chair tipped backward as his body covered mine, but he caught us, and with a growl of laughter that made my toes curl, rol ed us away from the hearth before it could cause any lasting damage.

Hard to return every one of his kisses. Hundreds of them, hot and so sweet that I felt tears prick my eyelids as I final y let myself admit how much I’d missed them. I’d thrown my arms around his shoulders when we’d begun to fal .

Now I let my hands roam the hard planes of his back, run up his sides and down his thighs, remind me that he was real and here and—